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Deborah Vance finally returned to the stage in the final season of “Hacks” and now she will in real-life too — sorta. In a first for “Hacks” and stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, the stars (and their castmates)
will appear on stage in public, playing their characters in front of an audience. This is the first time Smart and Einbinder have appeared in-character outside of the Emmy-winning HBO Max comedy.
Timed to the start of Emmy Phase 2 voting, the “Hacks” cast and creators have put together a one-night-only production, to be held at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, set inside the world of “Hacks.”
Dubbed “Deborah Vance & Friends & Enemies Live!,” the event will feature Smart as Deborah Vance, Hannah Einbinder as Ava, and more cast members playing their characters. The show will take place on Friday, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the one-hour program starting at around 7:30 p.m. Fans will be served drinks, pizza, soft pretzels and popcorn beforehand. (The event is already sold out.)
“Hacks” earned 24 Emmy nominations for its fifth and final season, making it the most nominated season of a comedy ever. (The record was previously held by “The Bear” and then “The Studio,” which nabbed 23 noms for its freshman season just last year.) “Hacks” is the incumbent outstanding comedy series winner at the Emmys, having won the top prize in 2025.
For star Smart, a fifth consecutive win in lead comedy actress would complete a sweep across the series’ entire life span, something no woman has ever achieved in the acting categories. It would also be her eighth career Emmy, putting her tie with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the second most acting Emmys won by a female performer.
Other major nominations include Einbinder and Megan Stalter for supporting actress in a comedy series; Paul W. Downs for supporting actor in a comedy series; Christopher McDonald for guest actor in a comedy series; and Leslie Bibb, Cherry Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Kaitlin Olson and Lauren Weedman for guest actress in a comedy series.
Besides outstanding comedy, the show is also up for outstanding writing for a comedy series (for series creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky), outstanding directing for a comedy series (Aniello for the finale) and more.
